The present invention relates to the field of contact insertion end effectors.
Various types of end effectors are known in the art for inserting contacts into electrical connectors. Due to a wide variety of circumstances confronted when performing a contact insertion, a first type of end effector will operate reliably under a first set of conditions whereas a second type of end effector will be more desirable under different circumstances.
For example, a double pinch-push contact insertion end effector does not enter the connector and performs a contact insertion by progressively walking the contact into the connector. See for example my U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,469 for a detailed description of such an end effector. A tendency for the wire to buckle during insertion occurs, particularly where the wire is thin or the required insertion forces are considerable, when the wire is being pushed through a rubber grommet for example. Under these circumstances, a second type of insertion tool is more desirable, which pushes against the lip of the contact rather than walking the wire into the connector in the manner of the double pinch-push insertion end effector. However these insertion tools are more fragile than the pinch-push effectors. For a further discussion of insertion tool end effectors, reference may be made to my Statutory Invention Registration No. H225.